or


[03/19/08 - 05:19 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, March 19
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


BIG IN JAPAN (ABC, New!) - Arthur Smith ("Hell's Kitchen") is developing a new reality competition series at the Alphabet in which Americans go to a foreign country to compete in local challenges while trying to adapt to their culture. ABC has given a series commitment to the project, which Smith will executive produce via his A. Smith & Co. banner. It's understood said title is tentative as producers are considering several different countries, including Japan. No other format specifics were released.


ENTOURAGE (HBO) - Rob Weiss, an executive producer on the series, has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with the pay channel. The pact covers his duties on the upcoming fifth season of the comedy series, which resumes shooting at the end of April for a September premiere. In addition, Weiss, who's said to be one of the inspirations for the show's bombastic director Billy Walsh, will develop new projects for the network.


GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") has landed a multi-episode arc on the freshman drama. She'll play Georgina Sparks, a troubled friend of Blake Lively's character who rolls back into Manhattan from rehab and shakes up her world. No other details were given.


HOW TO TEACH FILTHY RICH GIRLS (The CW) - Marsha Mason is the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about a Yale-educated young woman hired to be the live-in tutor/life coach to two rich heiresses in Palm Beach. She'll play the grandmother of said heiresses who becomes their guardian. Rina Mimoun is behind the project, which is set up at Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.


UNITED STATES OF TARA (Showtime) - John Corbett ("Sex and the City") is set to star opposite Toni Collette in the comedy pilot, about a woman with a multiple personality disorder. He'll play her husband, Max Gregor, a ruggedly handsome contractor who lives a life of stress and tries to read as much as he can about his wife's condition. Craig Gillespie is directing the half-hour from a script by Oscar-winning Diablo Cody. Production is set to begin next month.


UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Kirstie Alley has inked a development deal with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. The pact includes the potential development of a daily talk show hosted by the actress, who made headlines after appearing in a bikini on Winfrey's show after a major weight loss achieved via Jenny Craig. Alley previously teamed with Buena Vista Productions and Fisher Entertainment to develop a talk show back in 2002 that never got off the ground.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (UPN)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HELL'S KITCHEN (FOX)
· I SURVIVED A JAPANESE GAME SHOW (ABC)
· PRIVILEGED (CW)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· UNITED STATES OF TARA, THE (SHOWTIME)
· UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)
· UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)





[06/18/26 - 03:01 PM]
"Bet" Season 2 Sets Additional Cast and Starts Production in Toronto
Season 1 reached the global top 10 on Netflix in 77 countries and spent three weeks on the list with over 10 million views during that time.

[06/18/26 - 03:00 PM]
AMC Global Media's Critically Acclaimed Drama, "The Audacity," Commences Season 2 Production
Production of the eight-episode second season is underway in Vancouver, Canada, with the series returning to AMC and AMC+ in 2027.

[06/18/26 - 02:47 PM]
Stars Shine Bright on FOX as Strong FIFA World Cup 2026 Viewership Continues
9,082,000 viewers witnessed Lionel Messi's hat trick with Argentina defeating Algeria 3-0 Tuesday on FOX.

[06/18/26 - 01:56 PM]
"Rulers of Fortune": Netflix Gathers Cast to Celebrate the Start of Season 2 Production
Season 1 was a massive success, reaching Netflix's Global Top 10 and spending six weeks among the platform's most-watched non-English-language titles worldwide.

[06/18/26 - 12:30 PM]
Wonder Project Unveils First-Ever Line-Up of Six Stand-Up Comedy Specials - "Wonder Presents: The Stand-Ups" - Beginning July 2
From award-winning comedy studio, New Metric Media, each of the six specials will debut weekly, starring comedians Caroline Rhea, K. Trevor Wilson, Sterling Scott, Ola Dada, Zabrina Douglas, and Erica Sigurdson.

[06/18/26 - 11:11 AM]
Prime Video Announces Season Three of "Fallout" Adds Emily Mortimer, Manny Jacinto, and Thomasin McKenzie to Cast
The critically acclaimed global hit series, from Kilter Films, returns to Los Angeles this month to begin filming season three.

[06/18/26 - 11:01 AM]
Apple Original Films to Bring Beloved Children's Book "Little Santa" to the Screen
How did Santa become Santa? The answer is in the evergreen musical comedy adventure, "Little Santa."

[06/18/26 - 11:00 AM]
FOX Creator Studios Expands Roster with New Wave of Creator Partners, Original Formats and Premium IP
Now joining the FCS roster, which already ranges from culinary icon Gordon Ramsay to renowned comedian Tom Segura, are popular creators including Josh Richards, Emelia Hartford, Speeed Co, Sorted Food, MyHealthyDish, Mad Realities, and Christina Richardson.

[06/18/26 - 10:31 AM]
Netflix's "The God of the Woods" Rounds Out Cast with Tracy Letts, John Gallagher Jr. Lola Kirke, Colton Ryan and More
The multi-generational drama series explores the Van Laar family's dark secrets, class tensions, and the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of 13 year old Barbara Van Laar from her family's summer camp - in the wake of an earlier family tragedy that may be related.

[06/18/26 - 10:31 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Announces a Strong Lineup of Summer Guest Hosts
Tiffany Haddish will lead things off, hosting the week of July 6, followed throughout the summer by Anthony Anderson, Ike Barinholtz, Colman Domingo and Jelly Roll.

[06/18/26 - 10:12 AM]
Missing Woman, Endless Questions: David Morrissey Stars in "Gone" - BritBox's Latest Gripping Crime Thriller
Packed with twists and emotional stakes, the series premieres July 23 on BritBox.

[06/18/26 - 10:01 AM]
Proximity Media Television Signs New Creative Partnership with Netflix
As part of the new deal, the team behind Proximity Media Television will exclusively develop new series for Netflix.

[06/18/26 - 10:01 AM]
NBC's Civilian-Led "New Blood" Season of "The Traitors" to Debut on Thursday, September 17 with a Supersized 2-Hour Premiere Event
In lieu of celebrities and socialites, Emmy-winning host Alan Cumming will open the doors to his now-infamous Scottish castle to 22 everyday Americans, hand selected from a nationwide search resulting in over 60,000 hopeful applicants.

[06/18/26 - 10:00 AM]
New Animated Television Series "Warrior Cats," Based on Beloved Children's Book Saga, Lands at Disney+ and Disney Channel
Created by Working Partners, a Coolabi Group company, and penned by Erin Hunter, the hugely successful "Warrior Cats" book series is about clans of wild cats.

[06/18/26 - 09:31 AM]
"Simon Says"... A New Twist on the Classic Game Is Coming to Netflix
A new reality competition series based on the OG playground game of the same name is premiering on Netflix in 2027.